"I swear to fucking god, you're so selfish! You fucking waste all your money on those stupid fucking dolls, well what about me? Your poor mother. I didn't get you that job just so you could be a self-centered bitch!" Amanda yelled at her daughter, Annabelle. She staggered on her feet as she threw a half full glass of wine at her daughter. Annabelle ducked at the last second, the glass shattering on impact, the wine going everywhere.

"You crazy bitch! Why don't you just go drown yourself in your alcohol and leave me alone?!" Anna screamed back, before clutching the doll to her chest and racing up the stairs to her room. Slamming the door closed, she used her skeleton key to lock the door, before making her way up the rest of the stairs to her room. Her room was in the attic, the farthest room from her mother. She would move out to get away from her drunk and abusive mother, but she didn't make enough money to afford a place of her own. Not for long at least. That and the world wasn't a kind place to a 19 year old who had an interest in strange things. Like the doll that she had cradled in her arms. She had been searching for a few years now for a certain doll, but every one she bought just seemed to be another disappointment. Finally reaching the door at the very top of the stairs, she stopped momentarily to regard the doll she carried.

"Well, even if this is another let down, welcome to my own personal hell. And may I introduce you to my Good Guy army", she said as she opened her door and quickly walked inside, using her foot to close the door.

The attic was very spacious, due to the house being very old. Her bed was to the very right of the room, an old vanity with a mirror stood on the opposite. A small dresser sat a few feet from the bed. Beyond that, there weren't many furnishings in the room. There was only one window, and it was very small. It was in the middle of the wall across from the door. What really caught attention, was the number of Good Guy dolls Anna had sitting around the room. They were on the floor, they were on the vanity, and they covered the top of her dresser. But none sat on her bed. That was the only space cleared of the dolls. Sitting down in the middle of the room and crossing her legs, she set her newest doll down in front of her.

"Hi, I'm Anna, what's your name?" she asked slowly. She didn't know how old this doll was, so she didn't know if the voice recognition still worked. The doll stared blankly back at her and she stared right back. That's when she gasped and climbed to her feet.

"I am so stupid! How could I possibly forget?" she berated herself as she quickly made her way over to her vanity. Opening a drawer, she dug around for a few moments before pulling out what she was looking for.

"Aha!" she exclaimed, holding up a pack of batteries. Making her way back over to the doll, she carefully picked him up and turned him over and swiftly put the batteries in. Flipping him back over, she smiled. It was a smile that reached her bright green eyes and showed the slightest hint of dimples. Re-seating herself again with the doll, she stared at it for a few moments before taking a deep breath.

"Hi, I'm Anna, what's your name?" she repeated, now holding her breath waiting for a response.

"Hi, I'm Charles, wanna play?" was the almost immediate response. Some of the sparkle left her eyes and she quickly looked down and fiddled with her hands that were in her lap. Looking back up at the doll, she felt the same wave of disappointment that came with every name that wasn't the name she was hoping for.

"Hello Charles, do you have any nicknames?" she allowed only a small amount of hope to escape her heart. Charles was the closest she had come. All the others were Williams, Jacks, and Marks. With baited breath, she squeezed her hands together while staring intently at the doll.

"I like to be hugged", Charles replied. Anna sighed and looked away.

"Well, it was worth a shot. Besides, you're my first Good Guy with the name Charles, so just for that, you get a special place on my bed. You should feel honored, nobody else gets that spot", she forced a cheerful tone and winked at the now unresponsive doll. Dragging herself off the ground, she bent down to pick up the new addition to her Good Guy family. She padded over to her bed and gently set him down so he was propped up on her pillows. Glancing at him one more time, she made her way over to her dresser to pull out clothes to wear for the rest of the night.

She pulled out a pair of black short shorts. Next, she pulled out a blank tank top that she had iron pressed the words 'Good Guy' across the chest. She stole a glance at Charles before taking off her shirt. What should have been unmarred pale skin, her back, sides, shoulders, and stomach were covered in bruises that varied in shapes and color. Throwing on the tank top quickly, she slipped out of her jean revealing even more bruises on her slender legs. Hesitating for only a second, she stepped into the shorts and pulled them up, wincing when the fabric rubbed one bruise quite roughly.

"I know it's not much up here, but you get used to it. And you'll never really be lonely. I'm usually here, but when I'm at work, you have all the other Good Guys. They're actually very chatty as soon as you turn them on", she said out loud to no one in particular. Turning around, she made her way over to the bed and carefully sat down. Looking at the new doll, she let out a sigh and pulled out her iPod from underneath her pillow. Slipping under the covers, she let out a hiss at the new pressure of the blankets on her body. Ignoring her discomfort, she put her iPod on shuffle and put it back under the pillow. Rolling onto her side, Anna pulled Charles to her chest and tried not to cry when her thoughts slipped to her job that she had to go into tomorrow. She slowly drifted into a fitful sleep, as the doll in her arms blinked and started to look around the room from his spot in the human girl's bed.